Introduction
One of the most important events of modern history is the fall of the Berlin Wall. The wall was just that — a wall, which was literally a physical separation that divided the city of Berlin from 1961 until 1989, as well (that) represented the political and ideological separation between Eastern and Western powers during the Cold War. But to understand why the Berlin Wall fell, we have to look at the Cold War itself.
The Cold War: A Brief Overview
The Cold War was a time of nervous political confrontation and competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. This was from the end of World War II in 1945 until the early 1990s. The ideological differences between the capitalist Western countries led by the United States and Communist Eastern countries led by the Soviet Union produced a series of conflicts, proxy wars and arms races.
The Division of Germany
After the Second World War Germany was divided into four occupied zones, occupied by the Americans, Soviets, British etc. The tensions between the Western powers and the Soviet Union grew over time, resulting in the formation of two separate German states: West Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany, and East Germany, the German Democratic Republic.
Berlin Wall Construction
To stop the mass of East Germans fleeing East to the West for economic and political freedom, the West German government and the Soviet Union commissioned the building of the Berlin Wall. Berlin was split in two by a wall and the inhabitants were separated by it, the wall physically dividing the city.
The Iron Curtain Effect
The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Iron Curtain, the term for the chasm between Western and Eastern Europe during the Cold War. And the wall was all the more reliable in separating communist Eastern Europe from democratic Western countries.
In the Factors Leading to the Fall
While the Cold War played a significant role in the eventual fall of the Berlin Wall, several other factors contributed to its demise:
1. Economic Pressures
East Germans were discontent over the huge economic disparity between East and West Germany. There was a strong feel from frustration and wanting change on the basis of a stark contrast in living standards with limited personal freedoms.
2. Reformist Movements
In the late 1980s East Germany was swept up in reformist movements in Eastern Europe. Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union led the way for political and economic openness which inspired citizens throughout the world to demand the same reforms in their own countries.
3. Mass Protests
The chants of mass protests which took over East Germany called for an end to the communist dictatorship and reunification with West Germany. These protests placed great pressure on East German government and eventually undermined its control.
4. International Diplomacy
Western powers, notably the United States, placed great pressure through diplomatic efforts on the Soviet Union and East German government to ease restrictions. Western leaders’ willingness to speak to and negotiate with their communist counter parts was ultimately what brought down the Berlin Wall.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
On November 9, 1989, the East German government unexpectedly announced it would be letting the travel restrictions fall. Border guards overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people, allowed thousands of East Germans to pass through the wall. It was the end for the wall, this momentous event.
Conclusion
To sum, none of the infrastructural conditions for the construction of the Berlin Wall was to be found in the Cold War, or even caused by it, but rather in a set of factors, among them economic pressures, reformist movements, mass protests, and international diplomacy, which were determinant in its fall. The Berlin Wall’s fall was an end to the Cold War and an important step to German reunification.